Reinforcing Justice: Uganda's Role To the 35th CCPCJ Meeting
During the 35th Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) Session convened in Vienna, Austria, from June 1st to 5th, 2026, Uganda again declared its wish to construct a strong, community-oriented, and technologically equipped criminal justice system. It sees strong, reliable institutions as one of the ways of earning people’s confidence and hence, Uganda made known its plans to continue to update national policies to international level as well as deal with criminal activities that have been there for some time and those that are just occurring.
Justice and Institution Reform at the Core
Uganda has been seriously strengthening the criminal justice systems, with a focus on laws, prosecutor’s skills, and court buildings. With the understanding that everyone has a role to play in ensuring justice, the country is adopting a multi-sectoral approach that will involve:
- Efficient Service Delivery: The Judiciary has done a great shakeup in the provision of justice and reduction of the case backlog through daily proceedings, plea-bargaining projects and special courts dealing with cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
- Digitization: Digitized case management systems are available at the Police, ODPP, Judiciary, and Prisons areas. They are interconnected by audio visual links and ODPP Virtual Learning Academy.
- Policy and Outreach: Policies relating to investigation, crime in land matters, and mutual legal assistance are facilitated by community “barazas” in an informal atmosphere.
Countering Organized Crime, Corruption, and Terrorism
Uganda was extremely ready to work with other countries to address problems such as organized crime, corruption and terrorism. Some of the measures taken include:
- Cybercrime: One of the earliest signatories to the new UN Convention against Cybercrime in Hanoi in 2025, Uganda is now revising its local laws to be in line with these standards. As part of this, the ODPP is establishing a new unit on Cybercrime and digital forensics.
- Anti-Corruption: Uganda is building up its asset recovery capacity and promoting prosecution-oriented investigations. On this note, the FIU is crucial in producing usable intelligence on money laundering.
Addressing Challenges in Prisons and Rehabilitation
Deputy Inspector General of Police pointed out that Uganda is keeping an eye on important developments, such as how cybercrime is becoming more and more intertwined with other forms of organized crime, human trafficking, and the hard-to-get-rid of SGBV. The delegation underlined the achievements realised through the building-up of the crime prevention and criminal justice chain over the five-year period but at the same time laid a lot of emphasis on the challenges of the prison system such as the revalation that the current overcrowding level is about 350% of the total capacity.
Uganda is prompting for extended helps to these ends:
- Develop ICT systems further, for example, virtual court sessions and digital rehabilitation tools.
- Decrease the 13.2% recidivism rate through better rehabilitation and reintegration capacity.
- Control violent extremist prisoners and stop the spread of radicalization.
A Call for Global Solidarity
Over the course of the meeting, Uganda appealed repeatedly for the needs of low- and middle-income countries. The country, however, stands ready to share its experiences, and contribute globally as a partner, but it highlighted that these countries suffer the heaviest crime burdens and need more international assistance and sharing of resources. Uganda insists that solidarity, mutual respect, and cooperation at the regional level are the three main foundations of a genuinely effective global justice system.
DRAFT STATEMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA